June 30, 2007

June 30, 2007

Pope Benedict said to plan examination of St. Paul‘s Tomb

Kath.net and Die Welt’s Paul Badde report

According to reliable sources, Pope Benedict XVI. has given green light for an examination of the interior of St. Paul’s tomb in the Basilica San Paolo fuori le Mura. The position of the stone coffin has not been altered since the year 390. Soon, it is said, archeologists will remove a plug with which the coffin had been sealed in Antiquity. An endoscopic probe is supposed to transmit images of the content. What they will show nobody knows. This alleged decision of the Pope has to be seen in the context of the Year of St. Paul which was announced yesterday for 2008, at the vigil of the Feast of Peter and Paul.

June 28, 2007

Fr. Zuhlsdorf at wdtprs posts the following today:

On Wednesday afternoon the Secretary of State, Tarcisio Card. Bertone gave the Motu Proprio to 30 bishops from around the world on Wednesday afternoon in the ApostolicPalace.The bishops were explicitly chosen and invited for this.(I am guessing that they were heads of Bishops Conferences.)Pope Benedict XVI later came to the meeting.The document is three pages long, though what the format is in not revealed.The Pope’s accompanying letter is four pages.

It is clear from the way this was done that the Holy Father wanted to make sure that bishops got this document in this way, rather than having to read about it in the paper.I assume that what will happen now is that these bishops, if they are heads of conferences, will return home and distribute the document to the bishop members of the conference.

[UPDATE: They are not only heads of conferences: H.E. Archbp. Raymond Burke of St. Louis and H.E. Sean Card. O’Malley of Boston was there, whether because of this meeting or a coincidental meeting is not clear.]

June 27, 2007

WASHINGTON (CNS) — From “Abba” to “zucchetto,” a new glossary provides definitions and background for more than 1,300 words that may arise in the Catholic vernacular.

St. Mary’s Press Glossary of Theological Terms, composed by Holy Cross Father John T. Ford, evolved from a survey conducted by St. Mary’s Press that indicated professors at Catholic colleges noticed a lack of Catholic literacy among their students, said John McHugh, the director of college publishing for St. Mary’s Press in Winona, MN.

…The glossary gives definitions for the words and also places them in a wider context, either by explaining the significance of the word in the Catholic faith or by cross-referencing the term with another word. So users of the glossary learn not only what the word means, but also what it means in the context of Catholicism.

Take “zucchetto.” The word comes from the Italian “zucca,” meaning gourd or head. The zucchetto is the small, round skullcap worn by clergy. Father Ford tells readers that the color of a zucchetto indicates the person’s rank. So the pope wears white, cardinals wear scarlet, bishops wear purple and priests wear black.

…Editor’s Note: St. Mary’s Press Glossary of Theological Terms can be ordered for $15, plus shipping and handling, on the St. Mary’s Press Web site at: http://college.smp.org.

June 25, 2007

O Prophet and Forerunner of the presence of Christ, we who fervently honor you cannot worthily praise you. For by your revered and glorious birth the barrenness of your mother and the muteness of your father were unbound, and the incarnation of the Son of God is proclaimed to the world. – Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone

June 22, 2007

Lord, have mercy on us, Christ, have mercy on us.Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us,Christ, graciously hear us.

God, the Father of heaven, Have mercy on us.God, the Son, Redeemer of the world,God, the Holy Ghost,Holy Trinity, One God,

Blood of Christ, only-begotten Son of the Eternal Father, Save us.Blood of Christ, Incarnate Word of God,Blood of Christ, of the New and Eternal Testament,Blood of Christ, falling upon the earth in the Agony,Blood of Christ, shed profusely in the Scourging,Blood of Christ, flowing forth in the Crowning with Thorns,Blood of Christ, poured out on the Cross,Blood of Christ, price of our salvation,Blood of Christ, without which there is no forgiveness,Blood of Christ, Eucharistic drink and refreshment of souls,Blood of Christ, stream of mercy,Blood of Christ, Victor over demons,Blood of Christ, courage of martyrs,Blood of Christ, strength of confessors,Blood of Christ, bringing forth virgins,Blood of Christ, help of those in peril,Blood of Christ, relief of the burdened,Blood of Christ, solace in sorrow,Blood of Christ, hope of the penitent,Blood of Christ, consolation of the dying.Blood of Christ, peace and tenderness of hearts,Blood of Christ, pledge of Eternal Life,Blood of Christ, freeing souls from Purgatory,Blood of Christ, most worthy of all glory and honour,

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world,Spare us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,Graciously hear us, O Lord.

ALMIGHTY and Eternal God, Thou hast appointed Thy only begotten Son the Redeemer of the world, and willed to be appeased by His Blood. Grant, we beg of Thee, that we may worthily adore this price of our salvation, and through its power be safeguarded from the evils of this present life, so that we may rejoice in its fruits forever in heaven. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.